Tuesday, July 9, 2019

I started kickboxing at a fairly young age. In the course of my training back home I got the impression that I was missing much of the techniques and training methods as well as the cultural aspects of Muay Thai. That is why I decided in 1995 to travel to Thailand and to learn Muay Thai like the Thai athletes do, starting from scratch. My destination was the northeast of Thailand, as I had heard that the best Thai fighters come from there. I received a friendly welcome at the Deycha Gym in Maha Sarakham, where I lived and trained with the athletes in the gym for some months. There I had the opportunity to undertake a very intensive study of the sport with the trainers Master Deycha, Saknipon Pitakvarin, and Kenpet Luksulam. I took notes of my experiences in training, the execution of techniques, and the training methodology. In the process I developed my first book, Muay Thai: Kampf und Selbstverteidigung (1997). I am very happy to say that my friendly relations with this camp continue to this day. Due to my enthusiasm for Muay Thai, I started travelling to Thailand for training a few months each year. In the following years I trained at gyms in the provinces Maha Sarakham, Buriram, Surat Thani, Bangkok, and Chonburi. In the course of my travels I was lucky to be coached by the legendary fighter Apideh Sit Hiran for a number of weeks. My continued interest in Muay Thai led me to manage a Muay Thai camp for some time, and I decided to spend as much time in Thailand as possible.